Nase

The Nase is a fish of cyprinid family. It is widespread all over Europe, except the basin of the Baltic Sea to the north from the Vistula, the basins of the White Sea and the Barents Sea, Italian Peninsula and southern Spain. Nase inhabits rivers, it avoids standing water. It lives in schools. In the river, nase prefer staying in currents, closer to the bottom, choosing stony surfaces covered with aquatic plants, or dense sand. Often fish of this species hang above the bottom in inclined position scraping off detritus with their lower jaws. Nase feed on worms, aquatic insect larvae and roe, laid by other fish. Its body is slightly elongated. The dorsal surface is gray or reddish, not flattened on its sides. Nase is light-colored along flanks. Its mouth is shaped like a transverse slit. The lower jaw is sharp and covered with a horny cap. Its cartilage snout protrudes forward. There is a black pellicle on its peritoneum. During spawning male nase turn more vivid, orange spots appear on the corners of its mouth, on the operculum and near the pectoral fins; a dark stripe rims its body and dark spots turn up on its upper part. Average fish range from 25 to 30 cm in length, and weigh about 0.3 to 0.4 kg. Large specimens reach the length of 40 cm and the weight of 1.5 kg.